One of Britain's most senior scientific figures has warned that the world is close to the start of the Pandemic than the end, as he lamented a lack of political leadership over Covid.
The director of the Wellcome Trust, who stepped down as a government scientific adviser last month, said that the progress in combatting Covid-19 had been wasted.
He said rich countries had been taking a "very blinkered domestic focus, lulled into thinking that the worst of the Pandemic was behind us". He said he was hopeful that current vaccines would protect against Omicron, but that may not be the case in the future.
He writes that the more likely it is that a variant that can overcome our vaccines and treatments will emerge as a result of the continued spread of the virus. We could be close to square one if that happens.
Governments are unwilling to address inequitable access to the vaccines, tests and treatment because of political drift and lack of leadership. There have been wonderful speeches, warm words, but not the actions needed to ensure fair access to what we know works and would bring the Pandemic to a close. He said that the urgent action needed had not changed, and that it was still necessary to wear masks indoors, increase testing, and get vaccinations.
A major charity raised concerns about the government's booster jab campaign, which it sees as the best current method of fighting the virus. The programme was in a mess according to the charity director. She said that it was alarming to hear that as many as one in five care home residents have not yet had their boosters.
She spoke out after some targets were suspended. New patients may be put off health checks under the new guidance.
Abrahams said that the top priority is to ensure as many older and vulnerable people as possible get their jabs. This situation shows how underpowered our GP system has become. Unless and until we invest more heavily in it, we will continue to see these hard choices arising whenever a crisis comes along, and that is not in anyone's interests, least of all older people.
St John's Church in west London will be administering booster jabs on December 4, 2021. Daniel Leal is pictured.
Pre-departure tests for people travelling to the UK were announced by the government on Saturday. They will have to take a test 48 hours before entering the country. The move came as evidence emerged that the Omicron strain had been reported in more than 40 countries, with apparent community transmission in places such as Norway. They said there was evidence that the incubation period was shorter.
The Labour Party had been pushing for the introduction of the tests. The decision was driven by new evidence about the spread of the variant and its characteristics, according to a source. The travel industry has been affected by Covid restrictions. Nigeria will be added to the red list on Monday.
Many scientists were dismayed by the sudden spread of Omicron. Prof Franois Balloux of University College London said that he was surprised by the increase in cases being reported from South Africa. The cases are doubling at a rate that I have never seen before. It is worrying.
The Omicron variant can cause more damage than Delta over the same time period, according to early estimates. It is an alarming figure that has been balanced by early reports which suggest the variant is less likely to lead to hospitalisation.
Scientists warned last week that caution should be taken with the data. It is a tight situation. Prof Kao of Edinburgh University said that even if Omicron is less likely to cause severe illness, it may still cause more hospitalisations and put more strain on the health service.
Elderly people are the focus of some fears. Omicron has been circulating in younger age groups, but scientists worry that it could shift its profile to cause more harm to older people.
Scientists say the situation is in a critical balance. The health service was under threat from rising Delta cases and the possibility of a serious outbreak of seasonal flu. Kao said that Omicron has changed the game so dramatically that they don't know how it will end up.
More than one in four British workers would show up for work with symptoms of the Omicron variant because they needed the money, and 23% of those with jobs that put them at increased risk of infections would do the same. According to polling for the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, 16% of workers say they would be able to work from home, but not by their employer. Only 31% of people say they would get support from their employer.
Anthony Painter, chief research and impact officer at the RSA, said that workers must be economically secure to secure the economic recovery. In the short term, we need to see an auto-furlough system and more generous sick pay, but long term, both the Conservatives and Labour must spell out how they will address the deep economic insecurity that Covid has only exposed.
